Controversial Abortion Bill Faces Decisive Vote In Wyoming Legislature
A bill that would ban abortion in Wyoming if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns a landmark abortion ruling faces a third and decisive vote in the Wyoming Senate on Thursday.
You can read House Bill 92 here. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, would outlaw abortions in Wyoming if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortions in this country.
The legislation has already passed the Wyoming House of Representatives and two readings in the Wyoming Senate. In committee testimony on the legislation on Monday, former legislator Larry Meuli--a Cheyenne pediatriician--cast the bill as a First Amendment issue.
Meuli said passing the legislation would essentially make opposing views on abortion illegal, and would codify one set of opinions on the subject in statute. But Rep. John Romero-Martinez [R-Cheyenne]--one of the bill's co-sponsors-- said abortion is murder, and should therefore be illegal.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is barred under the Wyoming Constitution from saying whether he would veto legislation pending in the legislature, so it's not known what action he would take on the bill if it passes the legislature. Gordon has characterized himself in the past as being "pro-life" in his views on abortion.
The 2022 session is slated to wrap up on Friday.